112. Making Sense of Non-Sense

You already know I was pretty depressed last night if you read my blog entry from yesterday.  That was then.  This is now.

I don't write much about my counseling appointments.  I have had them every single week since Mark was arrested with the exception of a couple of times due to date conflicts.  I look forward to seeing Amber.  She has a way of making me think differently.  Every time I leave my session I always feel more confident, happier, and have much less guilt.


I told Amber all about yesterday and the movie I watched.  She agreed that probably wasn't a good choice for me to watch right now.  She explained that from childhood we learn the interpretation of 'true love' from Hollywood movies. In this case, it is just a sweet story, but pure fiction.

An example of Hollywood's (and Shakespeare's) idea of true love is Romeo and Juliet.  Romeo and Juliet is considered one of the greatest love stories of all time.  Yet, the story tells us that suicide is the best solution to a bad situation.  We are made to understand that if you have true love it is better to die together then not be together.

Another example is another Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast.  Amber explained that Beauty and the Beast actually shows the normalization and romanticism of partner abuse. This movie teaches girls that a woman should be patient and supportive of her abusive partner in order to help him change his behavior (i.e., transform into a prince). Disney sugarcoats the Beast's abusive behavior - "he just has a short temper."

Disney leads us to believe that feminine qualities are associated with princesses (e.g., beauty, helplessness, passivity, etc.). These messages are harmful when, in reality, women and girls should be encouraged to leave abusive relationships and seek help if their partner is mean, violent, and coercive.

While last night's movie was not about an abusive relationship, it is was pure fiction.  We cannot die and bring our 'true love' back from hell. The movie is a sweet love story like most Hollywood movies.  And, that's all it it is, just a movie.